Folding chair



. P 7, 1954 J. B. NAUMANN 2,688,359

FOLDING CHAIR Filed Nov. 5, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. m a. Awa /MW Sept..7, 1954 J. B. NAUMANN FOLDING CHAIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 5, 1948 ATTORNEY Sept. 7, 1954 .1. B. NAUMANN FOLDING CHAIR Filed Nv. 5, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 7, 1954 "IUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING CHAIR John B. Naumann, Henrico County, Va.

Application November 5, 1948, Serial No. 58,571

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to folding chairs, and more particularly to chairs designed for outdoor or lawn use.

Chairs of this type are frequently provided with seats or cushions made wholly or partly of fabric or fibrous material subject to damage or deterioration from the effects of wetting. The protection of such chairs from the weather has therefore always presented a serious problem.

The general object of the present invention is to solve this problem in a simple and effective way, and to this end, the invention contemplates the provision of a folding chair comprising weatherproof parts so constructed that, when the chair is folded, the seat or cushion is completely housed or enclosed by them.

A specific object is to devise, in connection with a chair seat having a deep cushion, a protecting panel which, when the clear back is folded down onto the seat, is positioned to extend across the front edge of the cushion, and in cooperation with such back, to form a closed housing, fully protecting the cushion from the weather. This protecting panel may be supported on the seat frame, and shifted by the folding movement of the chair back, or may be carried directly by the chair back, and shifted by hand into protecting position, when the back is folded down onto the seat frame.

With the above and other objects in view, and to improve generally on the details of folding chairs of this nature, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of one form of my improved folding chair as it appears when open.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the chair with the back folded down or closed.

Fig. 3 is aside elevation of the chair shown in Figs. 1 and 2, on a somewhat enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view substantially on the line 4- 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a somewhat modified construction of the chair, the same being shown in open position- Fig. 6 isa similar view showing the chair in closed or folded position.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper part of the back frame of the chair illustrated in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a perspective .view of the movable panel which cooperates with the'back frame shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section on an enlarged scale through the front part of the chair when in the position shown in Fig.6.

Fig. 10 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the upper part of the back frame with the panel illustrated in Fig. 8 assembled therein.

Fig. 11 is a transverse section substantially on the line Il--Il of Fig. 9 looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary transverse section substantially on the line l2l2 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings in detail and more particularly first to Figs. 1 to 4 thereof, my improved chair may be supported in any desirable or suitable way as for example by means of a metal frame comprising a pair of horizontal portions l having at their front ends upstanding legs I from the upper ends of which project rearwardly extending arms l The rear ends of the horizontal portions l are united by a connecting portion l.

My improved chair comprises a box-like seat frame 2 open at its front edge as clearly shown in Fig. 1. This seat frame is supported at its front on the legs l as by means of bolts 3, and at its rear by links 5 secured to the seat frame at their lower ends as indicated at 4, and at their upper ends suspended from the arms l A back frame 6 is' provided and is hinged at its lower edge to the rear edge of the seat frame at 1. This back frame is formed of a solid piece of material such as sheet metal and is preferably in the form of a shallow tray having a marginal flange 6 A suitable cushion 8 is preferably positioned within the seat frame, and a back cushion 9 may also be mounted on the back frame, as shown in Fig. 1.

The back frame is normally held in the positionv shown in Fig. 1 by means of two pairs of links I0, H, pivoted together at l2 and pivotally connected to the seat and back frame at l3 and M respectively.

The links It are extended forwardly beyond the pivots l3, and have rigidly attached to their forward ends a movable panel l5, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. This panel is of a length substantially equal to the width of the seat frame, and is of a width substantially equal to the depth of the seat frame. Thi panel normally lies below the front edge of the seat frame, as shown, so that it is entirely out of the way. When however the back frame is foldeddown into the position shown in Fig. 2, the links H] are swung on their pivots, thus raising the panel I5 into a position in which it extends across and completely closes the open front edge of the seat frame. When the back frame is folded down as shown in Fig. 2, the marginal flange not only fits over the sides of the seat frame but also fits over the upper edge of the panel I5, thus completely enclosing the seat cushion in a weatherproof housing. A reinforcing strip [5 is preferablyseoured to the panel [5, lengthwise thereof to stiffen the same, and this strip may if desired be formed as an integral continuation of the links I 0.

It will of course be understood that in order to provide space in which the marginal flange of the back frame and the links It may freely operate, the bolts 3 and 4 must be provided spaced guides ill, in the nature of box channels are secured to the inside of the back frame as shown in Fig. '7. Each of these channels has a pair of slots extending through the opposite side walls thereof, and adapted to slide freely in these guides are a pair of bars 20 having at their inner ends T-heads l9 which extend through the slots [8. Pivoted at 21 to the upper ends of the bars 20 is a panel 22, having a marginal flange 22 around three sides thereof.

Normally the position of the parts as shown in Fig. 10, with the T-heads Is at the lower ends of the slots I8 and with the panel 22 housed within the back frame 6, this panel being covered and concealed by the back cushion 9. When however it is desired to fold the back frame down as shown in Fig. 6, the panel 22 is grasped and pulled forwardly and upwardly, the bars 20 sliding upwardly in the slots [8 and the panel pivoting forward about its hinges 2| as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9. Finally the panel '22 occupies the position shown in full lines in Figs. 6 and 9, in which it underlies the flange '6 of the back frame and extends across and completely closes the open front end '2' of the seat frame. It will be observed that in this position the marginal flange '22 of the panel embraces both sides and the bottom of the seat frame, thus forming a completely weatherproof enclosure.

It will be observed that in this modification I do not employ links such as It and I l to hold the back frame in position. This back frame is pivoted to the seat frame by rugged hinges l6 which may if desired be formed with a rule joint. In addition, the upper ends of the arms I may be extended and bent around rearwardly as shown at I in Fig. 12 to form supports against which the back frame rests.

What I claim is:

1. A folding chair comprising a box-like seat frame open at its front edge, a back framepivoted to said seat frame adjacent its rear edge and adapted to fold down upon said seat frame, a movable panel of a width substantially equal to the depth of said seat frame, means for pivotally supporting said panel on said seat frame, and link means connected with said back frame and operated by the folding movement thereof for shifting said panel into a position in which it closes the open front edge of said seat frame.

2. .A folding chair comprising a box-like seat frame open at its front edge, a back frame pivoted to said sea-t frame .adjacent its rear edge and adapted to fold down upon said seat frame, a movable panel of a width substantially equal to the depth of said seat frame, means for pivotally supporting said panel on said seat frame in such manner that said panel is positioned below said seat frame, and link means operated by the folding movement of said back frame for shifting said panel upwardly into a position across the open front edge of said seat frame.

3. A folding chair comprising a box-like seat frame open at its front edge, a back frame pivoted to said seat frame adjacent its rear edge and adapted to fold down upon said seat frame, a movable panel of a width substantially equal to the depth of said seat frame, and means for slida bly and pivotally mounting said panel on the front side of said back frame in such manner that it may be shifted longitudinally toward the upper edge of said back frame and then swung across the open edge of said seat frame when said back frame is in folded position.

4. A folding chair comprising a box-like seat frame open at its front edge, a cushion within said seat frame, a solid back frame having a marginal flange at its sides and upper edge, said frame being pivoted to said seat frame adjacent its rear edge and adapted to fold down upon said seat frame so as to overlie said cushion, a pair of members movably mounted on one of said frames, and a panel carried by said movably mounted members, said panel being of a width substantially equal to the depth of said seat frame and constructed to :cover the openfront edge thereof when the back frame is folded down, and the marginal flanges of said back frame being arranged, when said back frame is in folded position, to overlap the sides of said seat frame and the upper edge of said panel, so as to completely enclose said cushion.

5. A folding chair comprising a box-like seat frame open atits front edge, a back frame pivoted to said seat frame adjacent its rear edge and adapted to fold down upon said seat frame, a pair of folding 'braces for supporting said back frame, each brace comprising a pair 'of links pivoted to each other and to said back and seat frames, "the links pivoted to said seat frame extending forwardly, and a panel carried by the forwardly extending ends of said links, said panel normally lying below said seat frame but constructed to swing upwardly and close the open front edge of said seat frame when said braces are folded.

6. A folding chair comprising a box-like seat frame open at its front edge, a cushion within said seat frame, a solid back frame pivoted to said seat frame adjacent its rear edge and adapted to fold down upon said seat frame so as to overlie said cushion, said back frame having a forwardly projecting marginal flange at its upper edge, and means cooperating with said back frame when in folded position to completely enclose all parts of said cushion, said means including a movable panel constructed to fit across the open front edge of said seat frame underneath and inside of said marginal flange.

*1. A folding chair comprising a pair of spaced side frames, a box-like seat frame, open at its front edge, mounted between and supported by said side frames, a back frame pivoted to said seat frame adjacent its rear edge and arranged to fold down between said side frames upon said seat frame, a bodily movable panel of a width substantially equal to the depth of said seat frame, and a length less than the spacing of said side frames, and members movably mounted on one of said seat or back frames, said panel being carried by said movably mounted members .in such manner that it may be shifted into a position to close the open front edge of said seat frame when desired.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 144,533 Gratz Nov. 11, 1873 854,154 Domsgen May 21, 1907 1,038,880 Hansen Sept. 17, 1912 1,291,737 Blando Jan. 21, 1919 1,712,388 Lange May 7, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 203,056 Great Britain Sept. 3, 1923 

